''Bad Influence'' is the second studio album by the blues singer-songwriter and guitarist

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

. Released with Hightone Records, this was the album thought to have put Cray on the map, prior to his explosion into the mainstream with ''

Strong Persuader ''Strong Persuader'' is the fourth studio album by American blues singer and guitarist Robert Cray. It was recorded by Cray at the Los Angeles studios Sage & Sound and Haywood's with producers Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker, before being rele ...

'' in 1986. It was his second release and his first on Hightone Records. It contained two

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Johnny Guitar Watson Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Variant ...

's "Don't Touch Me" and

Eddie Floyd Eddie Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood". Early life and education Floy ...

's "Got to Make a Comeback". The most well-known songs off the album are probably the funky minor-key blues song "Phone Booth", later covered by Cray's idol

Albert King Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...

, and the title track which was subsequently covered by

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Bruce Bromberg Bruce Bromberg (October 31, 1941 – December 27, 2021)Bruce Bromberg

and Dennis Walker produced the album for the California-based label. To date the album has sold over one million copies.

Track listing

#"Phone Booth" (Robert Cray, Richard Cousins, Dennis Walker, Mike Vannice) (3:32) #"Bad Influence" (Cray, Mike Vannice) (2:56) #"Grinder" (Cray, David Amy) (4:09) #"To Make a Comeback" (

, Joe Shamwell) (2:50) #"So Many Women, So Little Time" (Oscar Washington, David Amy, N.T. Clemens) (4:01) #"Where Do I Go from Here" (Cray, Mike Vannice, Dennis Walker) (4:03) #"Waiting for the Tide to Turn" (Cray, Mike Vannice, Dennis Walker) (3:31) #"March On'" (Cray) (2:25) #"Don't Touch Me" (

Johnny "Guitar" Watson John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), often known professionally as Johnny "Guitar" Watson, was an American musician. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, his recording career spanned 40 year ...

, Shawn Dewey) (3:25) #"No Big Deal" (Cray, David Amy) (4:14) Bonus Tracks #

"I Got Loaded" (Robert Camille) (3:37) #"Share What You've Got, Keep What You Need" (

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artis ...

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He was the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

) (3:50)

Personnel

;The Robert Cray Band *Robert Cray – vocals, guitar *Richard Cousins – bass *David Olson – drums *Mike Vannice – keyboards, tenor saxophone *Warren Rand – alto saxophone *David Li – percussion on "No Big Deal" *"Night Train" Clemens, Philip Walker, Tony Mathews – backing vocals on "So Many Women, So Little Time"

References

1983 albums Robert Cray albums HighTone Records albums {{Blues-album-stub